Irons...who uses 'em?

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All my guns have open sights, and the aperture sights are my preference. Now a few of them also have some sort of optic now, but I still shoot open sights for the most part.

The only downside is in the last few years my right eye (shooting eye) has gone a bit fuzzy and I have to use my left eye if trying precise pistol shots. For rifles, I usually can clear a few magazines before my right eye goes fuzzy enough to double the width of the front sight.

So, optics are definitely a part of my future shooting, without doubt.
 
I still prefer them to peep sights/ghost rings for snap shooting.
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I'm in no way critical of this opinion, but to me, there is a HUGE advantage (real or perceived) to a medium or large aperture compared to a buckhorn for "snap shooting." Having used them to stalk/kill elk in the timber, I feel like I've some basis for this preference. I had to read the above quote a couple of times to make sure I read it right.

In my mind an aperture sight falls right between a traditional buckhorn (or variant) and a scope for ease of use, and in certain specific circumstances, the aperture wins. Of course I have good eyesight, which certainly plays a significant role.

Everyone's different though, and I'm thankful.
 
I shoot irons better offhand. With scope, the perceived shake is bad.
From prone or bench optics are more accurate.

A big factor is price, looks and comfort. No optics is smaller and lighter and more durable than with optics. Shooting is - for me - usually more fun with irons. I use optics when hunting moose or competiting (rules permitting). It is a sad thing that with age, eyes get progressively slower and more inaccurate. I will try to enjoy irons while I still can.
 
I have only owned and shot 1 weapon in my life that had an optic on it. It was a 10/22. I guess I learned to shoot the hard way. That's not bad since I have been hunting for the last 35 years.
 
All fourteen rifles have Only irons. I've never owned a scope, and would never consider doing permanent alterations on them.
Most are milsurps: a Garand, two FR8s, six Enfields, two Romanian M-69 Trainers (mil. or civilian?), and a Yugo Mauser. The first nine listed have rear aperture sights.

Even the Norinco SKS has the better version of the Tech Sight. What an improvement!
 
I shoot irons and scopes. I enjoy shooting more with irons, especially offhand and practical/tactical type stuff. When you can hold groups with irons on small targets a 100 yards away, suddenly settling in behind a scoped rifle looking at stuff 3 or 4 or 500 yards away doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. It's a great skill to practice, not for redundancy of sighting systems, but just because it simply makes you a better shooter.
 
I've run irons a few times at our local rifle match. It's nice to practice basics and irons are about as basic as it gets.

Don't kid yourself though, optics get you hits faster than irons, everything else being equal. Can a good shooter with irons beat a bad shooter with glass? Sure. But give that good shooter good optics and he'll get hits even faster.

BSW
 
I have my AR-15s set up with a red dot scope that I can see my iron sights through it in the event the red dot fails.

I practice with both every time I take them to the range.
 
All my muzzleloaders have iron sights as do my Marlin lever actions, both ghost ring peeps, the Winchester 94 in 32 Special (factory open),the trapdoor carbine and the Sharps 45/70 (Axtel peep).
With the right pair of glasses on I can even use them to shoot with...;)
 
There are definite benefits to optics with the prime reasons being: target location and identification, speed of target acquistion, and seeing hits/misses at distance. Optics can assist those with eye problems. I was in the market for a good 1-4x variable optic for my AR-15 when I attended training last year with F2S Consulting (I have trained with optics in the past). I used a Troy rear sight and the gun's standard front sight. I scored hits out to 300 yards, but locating the targets was difficult. I could not find black steel plates and was slow on the white ones. The red dot optics really shine during rapid fire at 25 yards or less; variable can be slightly slower. I was not able to keep up and did not make time on those exercises.

All fourteen rifles have Only irons. I've never owned a scope, and would never consider doing permanent alterations on them.
Most are milsurps: a Garand, two FR8s, six Enfields, two Romanian M-69 Trainers (mil. or civilian?), and a Yugo Mauser. The first nine listed have rear aperture sights.
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A very good friend of mine was adamantly "anti-optic" because he "didn't see the need." ONE shot (and hit) at 300 yards during a 3 Gun match convinced him otherwise. He couldn't even see the white plate at 300 with iron sights and couldn't make out gray metal/black targets at 150 yards.
 
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A scope doesn't help you shoot better... it just helps you see the target better. If I'm shooting nice well-defined targets on the range with contrasting colors at known distances, my accuracy with irons is just about as good as with optics out to 600 yards or so. However, most of my rifles are intended for 2A purposes... i.e. defense of liberty. If it's time to go 2A, you are not likely to get the kind of shot you have on a range.

A scope is a huge help for target detection, and is faster to put rounds on target with. It is also easier to range targets at unknown distances... A LOT easier if you have a reticle designed for ranging. When it comes to my 2A-purpose rifles, only the long range precision ones have optics only. Everything else has irons as well as optics, with the optics being easily removable if they to TU. Of course that's not even necessary on the AR with co-witnessed Aimpoint... if the dot goes out, just flip up the rear, line up your sights through the dead tube, and carry on. Just one of several reasons I really like that setup.
 
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The limitations of aperture sights became very apparent to me this July when I helped organize and competed in a Run 'n Gun event. I was going to run it with my scoped AR, but didn't get a chance to get it zeroed and ran it with my iron sighted M1 instead. I was one of the last to run, and ended up finishing up almost at dusk. One of the stages required hitting an 18-20" plate at 400 yards. I had already ran about 2 miles when I hit that stage. The plate was painted red. It was sitting in red dirt, in the shade, with the sun setting behind it, and it was starting to get dark. I couldn't see the plate through that aperture to save my life. I was having to pop my head up to try to see it, then come back down on my sights and guess where it was and work that area over. I had 1:30 to get 3 hits, and used up all my time without getting one. The next course of fire involved advancing downrange and getting 2 hits from each of 4 positions, from 300 to 200 yards, in 5 minutes. I STILL couldn't see the target at 300 yards, and used up most of my time there. I didn't end up completing that course of fire in time either.

I know if I had my scope, I would have been able to see the target no problem. Hell, I probably would have done better with notch sights. I almost certainly would have done better with an Aimpoint.

It isn't my vision... I have 20/15. And a man-sized target at 400 yards is no problem for me with that rifle when I can easily see the target... but life isn't always that accommodating. That's why I have optics on all my serious use rifles.
 
I really don't like scopes. I've tried them on a number of rifles over the years, but prefer irons. Even as my eyes have gotten older I still shoot better with irons. There's a lot more involved in good shooting than just seeing the target. That sounds silly, but it's true. You don't have to be able to clearly see your target area to hit it.
 
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henschman said:
The limitations of aperture sights became very apparent to me this July when I helped organize and competed in a Run 'n Gun event. I was going to run it with my scoped AR, but didn't get a chance to get it zeroed and ran it with my iron sighted M1 instead.
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Too bad that M1 doesn't have a large/small aperture flip sight. Those large apertures help in low light. Although at 300 or 400 yards, I'd have real problems myself.
 
Sounds fine to me! Irons, dots, scopes...depends on what I'm doing.

Irons: 2x M1, Marlin 336, 2x AR-15, Marlin 795, Ruger 10/22
Red dot: AR-15
Scope: AR-15, 2x Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60, Remington 700 ADL

I guess in my stable, the irons beat red dots + scopes combined...but I like all of 'em.
 
I like the peep sight on my, win 94 30-30. I find it easy and intuitive like a shotgun rib and bead. when at the 50 yd range my friends and I would do the golf course and stuff with the .22s and .17 hmr then set up a target each to take a few shots each standing offhand, at either a zombie or cobra commander. 3 shots ten secs with the open sight 30-30. kinda bonus points for the round.
 
I definitely prefer the standard peep sight on my AR-15, m-4 carbine, and my Ruger .44 mag carbine, and the semi buckhorn on my 44-40. I also like the tang sights on my Sharps 45-70, and also on my Marlin Cowboy 30-30, however, as my eyes aint what they used to be I prefer scopes on all my other rifles.
 
The question begs, did you enjoy your day more or less than if you hadn't forgotten your other gear?

I have all sorts of stuff, but the irons on my CZ550 in .375 H&H are my favourite by far, I shoot cast too in reduced loads and just plinking steel is a really fun day, the only downer is looking at all the empty brass I have to reload! :)

I know Benchrest is the pinnacle of accuracy shooting, but man, I would die of boredom doing that for more than an hour.
 
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Honestly, it is more satisfying to hit the target in the iron sights. Magnifying optics have always felt like cheating a little. Close to midrange anyway. After what Annie Oakley did with that lever action, we ought to be embarrassed by using glass within 100 yards. Just saying.
 
Irons

Back to basics. I have even returned to irons on my Bullseye guns.
Last time out with my AR......a Colt HBar with a NM aperture an the standard post front, I shot this at 100 yards from prone position. It is not great but it is about as good as I do.
FA6BC535-E103-402C-8AE8-39E4D3DFC932-1286-000001CB5BD7D510.jpg
 
My .22LR & .22WMR Savage bolt rifles have scopes. All the others are military and have the stock iron sights. I honestly prefer irons over glass, but my eyes just don't see the head of a squirrel or rabbit as well as they used to. (geez, that makes me sound old or something)
 
I shoot a lot of irons, my 6mm PPC for 100-300, my 6mm BR for 300-600, my AR-15 for high power XTC and in rimfire my Anschutz for 4 position indoor. My hunting rifle is my only scoped firearm.
 
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